by Lola StVil
“Is it about the Triplex?” I text.
“No. It’s…personal.”
Just to make extra sure, I texted more questions.
“Will team B there?”
Please say “no.”
“No”
We’re going to have sex. Yes!
Wait. We’re going to have sex?
OMG!!!
I sit on the edge of the bed and panic for a full five minutes. I have seen this stuff in movies all the time. Why is this still freaking me out? I have wanted this moment since I met him. There are a million butterflies doing a tumbling routine in my stomach.
I wish my mom was here. Well if she was, I’m sure she would be against it. In fact, she’d ground me forever but still I could use a hug, or at the very least, antipsychotic meds because I am losing my mind.
“Okay, Emerson Hope Baxter, keep it together.” I order myself out loud in the mirror.
“You have come a long way. You know he loves you. You love him. And tonight is going to be special. You’re going to make love to an Angel. How many girls get to say that?”
Then something happens that almost never happens: I talked myself out of panic mode. I walked over to the closet and picked out a black mini-skirt and top Miku bought me. I put on heels and thank the heavens above that they are wedges. Had they not been, I would surely have fallen over. I let my hair out and put on some gloss. I’m not Ameana but I cleaned up pretty okay.
As I headed out the door, my nerves give way to excitement. I love him so much. I can’t wait for the chance to love him in a whole new way.
Jay and Rio are standing guard over me tonight. I didn’t even have to call Rio for him to come and get me.
“I read your Wave; anxious and excited.”
“Yeah,” I say bashfully.
He reads more of my Waves.
“Oh, I see,” he says.
“Rio, please don’t tell anyone—”
“Hey, it’s none of my business.”
“How do I look?”
“Great.”
“Thanks.”
We head outside. Jay asks why I’m wearing a skirt. It’s a fair question sine I have made a religion out of jeans and sweaters. I say I just wanted to wear something different. He exchanges a look with Rio. This is so embarrassing.
I wish Marcus had come to pick me up himself. It would have been better if the whole team wasn’t in on what was going on. But I don’t even care at this point. All I want is to be alone with my boyfriend.
Once we get to the house, Rio and Jay see me upstairs and head back out. I enter and find Marcus among his books as usual. He looks up and sees me standing before him.
Suddenly I’m not really sure what to do with my hands. I keep shifting my weight and biting my lower lip. I think back on what Miku said and I try to give off an air of confidence.
“Hey,” I say, in what I hope is a light, breezy, sexy tone.
“Hey,” he says quickly.
“Where is everybody?” I ask taking my coat off. I wait for him to see my new outfit.
“Demon hunting,” he says not looking up. Damn.
“Oh.”
“That’s why I asked you over.”
“I kinda figured,” I say slowly, gaining more confidence. He stands and gives me a quick kiss.
“I think it’s about time this happened,” he says softly in my hair.
“Okay, um…should we go to your room?” I ask, uncertain about undressing in the middle of the living room.
“No, out here is fine,” he says simply.
“Okay,” I wanted more privacy even through we were alone. But I didn’t want to disagree with him and ruin the mood.
“Stay right here,” he says, as he runs into his room.
I inhale deeply and prepare to be with the guy I love. As I stand there, my heart races and my hands shake. I go over it in my head. I will let him take the lead. That way, I can’t go wrong.
Wait. Does he want me to take the lead?
Emmy, he’s a Guardian. He’s a natural-born leader. He will guide you. Now for once in your life, stop doubting yourself. Think about the last time you two made out. Think about how soft his lips felt pressed against yours. How you ached to be closer to him…
I take yet another deep breath and decide that I am done being scared. I am done being nervous. I have only weeks to live and I will not waste another moment in doubt.
I turn away, unbutton my blouse and let it fall to the floor (just like they do in the movies). I stand there in a newly purchased black padded bra that enhanced my chest by nearly a full cup. When I hear Marcus open the door, I whip around to face him and speak in my best grown-up voice.
“So, Mr. First Guardian, what do you think?”
Standing there with Marcus is Julian. Horrified, I desperately try to cover myself up with my hands. Shocked, Marcus runs to try help me cover up.
Everything seems to be happening at once; Julian threatening to kill Marcus, me looking desperately for my blouse and Marcus apologizing profusely.
I don’t stop to address him. I don’t even get my blouse. I just put my coat on and run out of the house. I don’t want to wait for the New Year. Someone kill me now.
CHAPTER THREE: HELL IS EMPTY
“Will you let me in?” Marcus asks, pounding on my bedroom door. I don’t answer. I stay under the covers and wait for some kind of merciful force to kill me…
Nothing happens.
Apparently Death takes his victims only when he’s good and ready.
I’ve been home for an hour now. So far, I haven’t been able convince time to back up and let me keep some of my dignity. How could it have gone so wrong? Why was Julian even there? I replay it over and over again. This experience is going to scar me for as long as I live.
Bright side: That’ll only be for another seven weeks or so…
“You know I can just get in a Port and show up inside your room, right?” Marcus reminds me. I roll my eyes and open the door.
“Em, I didn’t know that you thought tonight was…”
“I’m such an idiot!”
“It wasn’t that bad.”
“I stood in the middle of the living room half naked in front of Julian. Why was he even there?”
“He’s really been on the edge since your mom died. I thought maybe it’s time the two of you talked. That’s why I had the team clear the house; so you guys could have some alone time.”
“Julian isn’t the one I needed alone time with,” I mumble.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t clear with you.”
“Is that all you’re sorry about?”
“Was there something else?” he asks slightly irritated.
“You’re not even a little sorry that we aren’t going to be together tonight?”
“I want to be with you, you know that.”
“How would I know Marcus? By the way you spend hours away from me? Or the way you make plans to meet me, then send Rio instead?”
“You know what I’m trying to do here, Emmy.”
“Upset me?”
“You misunderstood my text, that’s not my fault.”
“Why would you even bring Julian to the house? We have nothing to say to each other.”
“You two need to talk.”
“He’s the reason we’re all in this mess.”
“I’m not a fan of the guy but the fact of the matter is, he’s your father.”
“So what?”
“You two have a connection.”
“I can’t believe you are standing here arguing on behalf of the man who raped my mom.”
“Julian says—”
“I DON’T CARE WHAT HE SAYS!”
“He’s trying to reach you.”
“And I’m trying to reach you. Marcus, tonight was supposed to be…special. Now it’s ruined.”
“It’s not ruined. You can still talk to your father.”
�
��UGH!” I hurl my pillow at him. “You are not listening to me,” I protest.
“No, Emerson, I hear you clearly. You want to push away the only family you have left”
“Why is it so important to you that I talk to Julian? He can’t tell us anything new. He’s useless to the mission now.”
“Not everything is about the mission.”
“This from the Guardian who spends twenty-six hours a day digging around in books?”
“I am not going to apologize for trying to save my girlfriend’s life.”
“I’m not gonna apologize for trying to get closer to you before I—”
I can’t finish my thought. The room falls silent. Suddenly I’m aware of how I’m dressed. I had changed out of the nice clothes Miku got me. I now have on pajama bottoms and a T-shirt featuring the forgetful fish from “Finding Nemo.” It read “Just keep swimming.”
Great, now we’re alone, I have his undivided attention, and I’m dressed like I’m headed for a sleepover with Sponge Bob Square Pants…
“I know you’re embarrassed but honestly, you standing in my living room half naked…I wouldn’t take that back if I could.”
I smile bashfully and turn away.
“I know I’ve been all work lately but it doesn’t mean I don’t think about ‘Play,’” he insists.
“When you see us being together, who makes the first move?” I ask.
He answers me by wrapping his impossibly strong arms around me, carrying me over to the bed and laying me down. Given the magnitude of his strength, I’m taken by the gentleness of his touch.
He longingly gazes down my body. It’s as if he can see right through my clothes; in his mind’s eyes, I am naked. A moan escapes his slightly parted lips. He likes what he sees.
He kisses my fingertips, eyelids, and earlobe. He traces my jaw line with his thumb, raises my head slightly and nuzzles the nape of my neck. Nerve endings are ignited with every kiss he gives me. Once our lips finally meet, a chaos of warm sensation travels down my body.
The euphoria of his touch causes me to lose all sense of time and space. His kisses leave a trail of pleasure long after contact. My Angel looks up at me as if to ask permission to take my shirt off. I signal that I’m ready. Then, his cell phone rings.
Damn…
I sigh heavily and lay back. Marcus, equally frustrated, answers.
“What?” he barks. He listens for a few seconds, then reluctantly agrees and hangs up.
“Who was that?” I ask.
“Your father. If you don’t go talk to him, he’s coming over here.”
“Perfect,” I reply, rolling my eyes.
Marcus laughs suddenly.
“What?” I ask.
“Your father calling and demanding you follow his rules, you with a guy in your room…for a second it feels like we are leading normal lives.”
“Are you saying not everyone gets tortured and chased by Akons?”
“Hard to believe.”
He takes my hand and we head back to the house where I was humiliated just a few hours ago. I would not have gone back, but Marcus pointed out that Julian was in fact very serious about coming over to my apartment if I didn’t come see him.
It irritates me that Julian has decided to act like a father now. He has been absent for years and now he wants to run my life. I don’t care what the Council said or did. He was supposed to be there for me and he wasn’t.
That isn’t to say I would even want him here. I can’t forgive what he did to my mom. Okay, maybe she was in love with him in some past life. But that doesn’t make it right. And no matter how hard he tries, Julian will not be allowed to force his way into my life.
When we enter the Guardian’s house, we find Julian and everyone but Rio waiting on us.
“We thought we’d stick around in case you guys came to blows,” Miku says.
“My money’s on Emmy. She’s tapped into her abandonment issues. Lots of rage.” Jay remarks.
Ameana shoots Jay a look that tells him this may not be the time to joke. She is right.
“Who are you to demand that I come and see you?” I ask Julian.
“After what I witnessed earlier, I see that you need help making good decisions,” he retorts.
“Yo, what happened earlier?” Jay asked. I ignore him and address Julian.
“You freaking kidding me with this? You think you’re the person to show me how to make good decisions? Let’s see what have you done that was so good? Oh yeah, you broke the Council’s rules, got my mom kicked out of the Light and then you raped her.”
“You don’t understand how much I loved your mother”
“When you love people Julian, you support them and let them make their own decisions. Did you even ask my mother if she wanted your help finding her way into the Light?”
“No.”
“Of course not.”
“I helped her get into the Light.”
“Yeah, then you helped her get kicked out. She has spent like a thousand Cycles here because you’re a selfish bastard”
“Emmy—” Marcus starts.
“Let her continue,” Julian replies.
“The truth is, I wish you never entered my mom’s life.”
“You don’t have to…like me. But I am going to protect you anyway I can.”
Both of us start shouting at each other.
“QUIET !” Marcus shouts. The room falls silent immediately.
We were too deep in our argument to notice Rio had entered the room.
“Rio, what is it?” Marcus asks.
“They know the Triplex is inside Emmy.”
“Who knows?”
“Everyone.”
* * *
Everything happens in slow motion. I look out of the bay windows and see a slew of Demons in the air, surrounding the house. They encircle the ground floor all the way up to the roof. The house is now at the center of a giant twister-like swirl of Demons.
On the street below us, there is a motorcade of black SUVs that pull up to the front of the building. The car doors open and an army of Runners and Pawns with guns, make their way up the stairs.
Suddenly, cracks spread across the living room ceiling. Someone or something has landed on the roof. Just then, I spot the most beautiful birds making their way past the stream of Demons. They are twice the size of bald eagles and made entirely of flames.
There’s a peaceful glow that emanates from the awe-inspiring creatures. I can’t take my eyes of their fiery wings. There’s a beam of red light shining from their eyes, bringing with it a beauty too powerful to ignore. I could spend eternity looking at them. Suddenly they open their mouths. I await a magic, a wonder like none I have seen before. I reach out for it.
“Emmy, no!” Marcus tackles me to the ground. Just as we hit the floor the birds spew out a river of fire. The Guardian’s home explodes into a massive ball of red and blue flames. Everyone and everything is catapulted into the sky.
The streets are littered with body parts and debris. The block where the house used to stand has been all but decimated. Marcus and I land several yards away. There’s a dull pain traveling along the left side of my body and my head landed on the pavement causing a massive migraine.
“Emmy!” he calls, as he tries to stand up.
“I’m okay. Where are the others?”
“We’re good!” Ameana says, as she heads over to us along with the rest of the team.
“Jay, you have to get Emmy out. I don’t have a Port on me.”
“Can’t,” Jay replies. That’s when we realize one of his wings has been badly injured.
“Jay, are your wings…?” Marcus asks.
“No, I’ll survive but for now, I can’t Glide. Let alone fly.”
“It’s not a good idea to take to the air anyway, too many Fire Swans.”
I look up in the sky and find the flaming birds still hovering above us.
&
nbsp; “Miku—”
“I can’t sing, Marcus. There are too many Pawns here. They would all die.”
From the corner of my eye, I spot Rage headed directly for us. The team spots him before I can even open my mouth. Rio quickly raises his shield a mere second before Rage sends a fireball our way. We can hear Rage laughing as New York City burns down.
“Give us the human!” he shouts, as he attacks Rio’s shield again.
“We have to move. The shield won’t hold up!” Miku says.
“We can take to the sky long enough to escape to another country. We can regroup there,” Jay says.
“No, they will follow and we can’t let them harm anymore humans,” Marcus orders.
“We need to do something, I’m fading,” Rio says between clenched teeth. As soon as he says that, Rage doubles his efforts by adding the Fire Swan’s blaze to his own. Together, the sea of fire is too much for Rio; his shield is down.
The instant that happens we are swarmed by Demons, Pawns, Runners and Akons. It would be nothing for the Angels to take out the Runners, but having Pawns in the mix slows things down. Since Pawns still have a soul, killing them is forbidden.
Ameana and Rio tackle Demons to the left of me while Miku sings softly to a group of Runners. Marcus takes on the remaining Akons while trying to shield me from them. I have never seen a battle on this large a scale. Lucy has emptied hell and sent an army after me. All around Demons are getting their wings ripped off, Guardians struggle to gain control, and New York City burns.
“We’ll hold them back. You make a run for it,” Marcus instructs me.
I open my mouth to protest.
“No arguments. Go to the Sage. They won’t attack you there. Run and don’t look back,”
Suddenly, I hear Rio cry out. I look over and a Demon has plunged a metal rod right into his chest.
“Damn it Emmy, RUN!” Marcus screams.
I take off down the street, my heart feeling like it’s going burst out of my chest with every step I take. I force myself to keep going although I desperately want to check on Rio and the rest of the others.
What if Rio is seriously hurt and Miku can’t get there in time to heal him? What if Jay can’t fend off the Akons because of his wings? Will Ameana and Miku be okay against so many demons all at once? And Marcus, one miscalculation, one misstep and his wings could end up spread on the White Mountain in Difi…
